PH and Water Treatment

Stewardship is everyone’s responsibility.

Water Quality Standards
Using Indicator Paper for Measuring pH
If the indicator paper turns reddish pink, this indicates an acid (1-6). If
the indicator paper turns bluish green or darker, this indicates a
base/alkaline (8 – 14). This strip indicates a pH of 6.5.
Water pH
• The pH level in your drinking water reflects how acidic it is. The pH
stands for “potential hydrogen” which refers to the amount of hydrogen
that is mixed with the water.
• The level of pH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being

neutral. Measurements below 7 are considered acidic (high
concentration of hydrogen) and levels above 7 are considered basic
/alkaline (low concentration of hydrogen).
• Water with a low pH can be acidic, soft and corrosive. Acidic water
causes metals such as copper, lead, iron, zinc and manganese to leach
from pipes and fixtures. Stained laundry, blue-green stains in sinks and
drains and metallic or sour tasting water are indications of low pH.
• An elevation of toxic metals in water can also indicate low pH levels.

Using Probes to Measure pH
• NEVER touch the bulb of the

probe.
• After inserting the probe into
the sample, wait for the
reading to remain constant.
• Dip the bulb into the distilled
water before inserting it into
another sample.
• ALWAYS clean the bulb by
inserting it into the distilled
water without touching it!
Acceptable pH Range for Water – 6.5 to 8.5
Pure water has a pH of 7 (neutral).
pH of Common Substances
1.
1. If a company that manufactures car batteries dumped hundreds of them into a local
stream, what affect may this have on the water?
2. Would this be a point or nonpoint source of pollution?
Organisms in Water: Preferred pH
Bioindicators of Water Quality
pollution, tolerance
• Water quality is a term used to describe the
chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of
water. The health of a water system is determined
by these variables. Both natural and man-made
forces are constantly changing these variables.
- Physical variables include: temperature, turbidity,
and water movement (faster moving water tends
to have more dissolved oxygen).
- Chemical variables:include dissolved oxygen and
other gasses, pH, nitrates, and salinity.
- Biological variables:include organisms living in the
water (bioindicators).
Drinking Water Standards
Drinking Water Treatment Process
1. What is the purpose of the screen in the first filtration?
2. What happens during “coagulation”?
3. What is ‘sludge”?
4. What is the purpose of “aeration’?
5. What is added as a “disinfectant”? What is it’s purpose?
6. What is “potable” water?
Potable water is water that is safe

for human consumption.
Wastewater Treatment Process: Enhanced Process
The goal of wastewater treatment is to make the water clean

enough to return to the environment.
Drinking Water Treatment Process
*The goal of drinking water treatment is to make the

water safe for human consumption “potable”.
*Water quality standards are established by the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
*Refer to the “2011 Water Quality Report”.*

Testing for Microorganisms in Drinking Water
• Bacterial Indicator
Organisms include:
• Total Coliform Bacteria

• Fecal Coliform Bacteria
• Escherichia coli
• Enterococcus
• Heterotrophic Bacteria
Private Source of Drinking Water - Well
• Private water wells require
homeowners to take more
control of their water quality.
Well owners have a
responsibility to themselves,
their family, and their neighbors
to protect their ground water
from contamination and ensure
that their water system is
providing good quality drinking
water. As a minimum, test your
water for coliform bacteria and
nitrates.
Public Source Drinking Water – Provided by City
• The public drinking water
systems regulated by EPA,
and delegated states and
tribes, provide drinking
water to 90 percent of
Americans. These public
drinking water systems,
which may be publicly- or
privately-owned, serve at
least 15 service
connections or 25 persons.
Private, individual
household wells, are not
regulated by EPA.
Private Source Wastewater Treatment: Septic Tanks
A septic tank must be at least 100 away from the drinking water well.
Why do you think this is important?
Septic Tank System (private source wastewater treatment)
1. Why is it important that the drainfield/leechfield consist of

permeable materials?
2. What materials may permeable layers consist of?
What is the role of bacteria in wastewater treatment?
Septic tanks must be maintained
so that they do not contaminate
ground water and surface water.
Public Source Wastewater Treatment
• The goal of
wastewater
treatment is
to make the
water clean
enough to
return to the
environment.
Well Drilling
drill bit Drilling Process
Well Drilling
Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution
NPS pollution comes from many widespread sources and can be generated by most land
use activities.
- Excess fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides from agricultural lands and
residential areas
- Oil, grease and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production
- Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest

lands, and eroding streambanks
- Salt from irrigation practices and roads
- Acid drainage from abandoned mines
- Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes
- Atmospheric deposition (rain, snow, sleet, hail)

1. What pollutants may enter waterways from each of the areas below?
2. How would the pollutants make it into the waterway?
3. What solutions may help prevent these pollutants from entering the water?
• City streets
• Rural (country) homes
• Forestry; timber,
Christmas trees
• Cropland/Agriculture
• Suburban (city)
development
• Animal feedlots (hog
farms, cattle, etc.)
City Streets
- gasoline
- motor oil
- garbage
- salt
- feces
- chemicals from construction
- acid rain
- organisms from dead animals
-other liquids from automobiles
What additional pollutants could be added to this list?
Rural (country) Homes
- septic Tanks - leaves
- garbage - sediment
- motor oil - cleaning chemicals
- animal bodies - fertilizer
- grease - pesticides
- animal waste - herbicides
- detergents/laundry - other toxic chemicals
- paint - dump sites
- grass clippings
-automobile batteries
What additional pollutants could be added to this list?
Forestry
• Sediment from the removal of trees,

transportation of wood in and out of forest
• Debris from tree removal
What additional pollutants could be added to

this list?
Suburban Development
• Sediment as areas are disturbed from development

process
• Chemicals
• Debris from building materials
• Pollution from construction vehicles
What additional pollutants could be added to this

list?
Croplands/Agriculture
• Herbicides
• Pesticides/Insecticides
• Sediment from land use (plowing, tilling, etc.)
• Fertilizer, nitrates, phosphates, nutrients etc.

this list?
Animal Feedlots
• Manure (cattle, hogs, etc.) adds nutrients to

water
• Manure may have parasites and bacteria.

this list?
Nonpoint Source Pollution
Motor spill Pollutants Entering Storm Drain
Sediment from Runoff
Agricultural Pollution
Cont. Nonpoint Pollution (NPS)
• NPS pollution, unlike pollution from

industrial and sewage treatment plants
(point sources), comes from many
Roadway pollutants enter storm drain widespread sources and can be
generated by most land use activities.
• NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or

snowmelt moving over and through the
ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up
and carries away natural and human-
made pollutants, finally depositing them
into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal
waters, and even our underground
sources of drinking water.
• Common NPS pollutants include

sediment, nutrients, heavy metals,
pesticides, pathogens, pharmaceuticals,
oil and salt.
Point Source Pollution
Examples of point source pollution

* Contaminants that enter a include:
- dumping of industrial waste,
water body that can be - sewage treatment facilities,
traced back to a specific - hazardous chemical deposition (e.g.
source, location, and nuclear waste).
offender. - Heat can also be a pollutant; power
plants often use water to cool
overheating components. Once used,
* Point source pollution is easier this hot water is released into nearby
to manage compared to lakes where it alters the lake’s
temperature. This heat is a form of
nonpoint source pollution. pollution because it can be harmful
and kill aquatic life including sensitive
fish species.
- Another example of widespread
pollution is the legal discharge of
sewage and other chemicals.
Pipes ( point source)
Cont. Point Source Pollution
Industrial dumping of chemicals Wastewater Treatment Plant

Thermal Pollution
Nuclear Power Plant Coal Powered Steam Plant
- Nuclear power plants and coal powered steam plants use water to cool the
equipment. This heated water is then returned to the environment. What problems
may this present?
- Nuclear power plants also produce radioactive materials that must be disposed of
properly. What problems may this present?
- Coal powered plants produce waste products (i.e. fly ash) and air pollution (acid
rain). What problems may this present? What type of nonpoint source pollution
may this type of power plant produce?

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Stewardship is everyone’s responsibility.

• The level of pH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being

• An elevation of toxic metals in water can also indicate low pH levels.

• NEVER touch the bulb of the

Potable water is water that is safe

The goal of wastewater treatment is to make the water clean

*The goal of drinking water treatment is to make the

*Water quality standards are established by the

*Refer to the “2011 Water Quality Report”.*

• Total Coliform Bacteria

1. Why is it important that the drainfield/leechfield consist of

- Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest

- Salt from irrigation practices and roads

- Acid drainage from abandoned mines

- Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes

- Atmospheric deposition (rain, snow, sleet, hail)

• Sediment from the removal of trees,

• Debris from tree removal

What additional pollutants could be added to

• Sediment as areas are disturbed from development

• Debris from building materials

• Pollution from construction vehicles

What additional pollutants could be added to this

What additional pollutants could be added to

• Manure (cattle, hogs, etc.) adds nutrients to

• Manure may have parasites and bacteria.

What additional pollutants could be added to

Motor spill Pollutants Entering Storm Drain

Sediment from Runoff

• NPS pollution, unlike pollution from

• NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or

• Common NPS pollutants include

Examples of point source pollution

Industrial dumping of chemicals Wastewater Treatment Plant

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Refer to the “2011 Water Quality Report”.